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Grant will Engage California Teens in Environmental Stewardship

OAKLAND, CA, April 22, 2013 –The Student Conservation Association (SCA), the national leader in youth service and stewardship, today received a grant from Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) as part of a $3 million Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program across 64 community-based nonproﬁts nationwide to help support land and water conservation, energy eﬃciency, infrastructure, and educational outreach. The grant announcement coincides with the 43rd annual Earth Day.

“Well Fargo and Company and SCA are partners in connecting youth to nature, and promoting stewardship and sustainability,” says SCA Regional Vice President Jay Watson. “Serving together on SCA crews this summer, high school students will not only protect public lands in California, they will undergo a truly transformational experience in the process. We are grateful to be a recipient of this highly competitive Wells Fargo environmental grant program.”

Wells Fargo’s Environmental Solutions for Communities began in 2012 as part of Wells Fargo’s commitment to provide $100 million to environmentally-focused nonproﬁts and universities by 2020. It is funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through a $15 million, ﬁve-year relationship to promote environmental stewardship across the country.

“We’re pleased to announce the Student Conservation Association as a recipient of Wells Fargo’s environmental grant program to help provide long-term solutions to the region’s environmental challenges,” said Ashley Grosh, head of Wells Fargo Environmental Philanthropy.

The goal of the Wells Fargo Environmental grant program is to provide cash grants for highly impactful projects that link economic development and community well-being to the stewardship and health of the environment. Wells Fargo and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) laud SCA conservation crews for engaging teenaged volunteers in hands-on service to public lands, an experience that strengthens the environment while preparing students for careers in the growing green economy.

“We sought out the best ideas and programs to protect and conserve the environment for local communities,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “Through Wells Fargo’s generous contributions, these community-based projects will provide immediate beneﬁts to local ecosystems and will help build and strengthen environmental stewardship ethics.”

The grant program funded proposals in select cities/regions (see full list) in the following focus areas:

sustainable agriculture and forestry

conservation of land and water resources

energy eﬃciency and urban infrastructure

community outreach and environmental education

The community and environmental impacts of all grants will be measured and reported.

For example, in 2012, the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program collectively funded 8,621 acres of habitat restoration and 165,970 newly planted trees. The grants also helped reduce more than two million gallons of runoff water and an estimated 331,840 pounds in CO21.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversiﬁed, community-based ﬁnancial services company with $1.4 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial ﬁnance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has oﬃces in more than 35 countries to support the bank’s customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune’s 2012 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ ﬁnancial needs and help them succeed ﬁnancially.

A leader in reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions and building sustainably, Wells Fargo has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Center for Corporate Climate Leadership, the Carbon Disclosure Project and the U.S. Green Building Council. Since 2005, Wells Fargo has provided more than $21 billion in environmental ﬁnance, supporting sustainable buildings and renewable energy projects nationwide. This includes investments in more than 260 solar projects and 34 wind projects that generate enough clean renewable energy to power hundreds of thousands of American homes each year. For more information, please visit. www.wellsfargo.com/environment.

About National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Established by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) sustains, restores and enhances the nation’s ﬁsh, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal, corporate and individual partners, it has awarded over 12,100 grants to more than 4,000 organizations and leveraged $618 million in federal funds into $2.1 billion for on-the-ground conservation. To learn more, visit www.nfwf.org.

About the Student Conservation Association

The Student Conservation Association is the only national organization that develops tomorrow’s conservation leaders by providing high school and college students with service opportunities in all 50 states, from urban communities to national parks and forests. More than 4,000 SCA members annually render over two million hours of service to America’s public lands. Since 1957, SCA has helped to develop new generations of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong stewardship, and save the planet. SCA is headquartered in Washington, DC and maintains oﬃces in Anchorage, AK, Boise, ID, Chicago, IL, Charlestown, NH, Houston, TX, Oakland, CA, Pittsburgh, PA, and Seattle, WA. For more information, visit http://www.thesca.org.

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About Us

The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is America’s conservation corps. Our members protect and restore national parks, marine sanctuaries, cultural landmarks and community green spaces in all 50 states.